How to pretty print JSON

Pretty printing turns compact JSON into a readable structure with line breaks and indentation.

Example

Minified JSON:

{"user":{"id":42,"name":"Asha","active":true},"roles":["admin","editor"]}

Pretty printed JSON:

{
  "user": {
    "id": 42,
    "name": "Asha",
    "active": true
  },
  "roles": [
    "admin",
    "editor"
  ]
}

Best practices

• Use consistent indentation: 2 spaces is common for web APIs.
• Don’t “pretty print” by hand: use a formatter to avoid accidental syntax errors.
• Be careful with ordering: JSON object key order typically shouldn’t matter, but some systems (incorrectly) assume it does.

When formatting breaks

If formatting fails, the JSON is likely invalid. Start here:

Validate JSON (common errors & fixes)

Related: Minify JSON · Sort JSON keys